Sometimes you feel like a truck, and sometimes you don't.
Toyota can satisfy both desires, and if car-based crossovers are the
current popular items in the automotive marketplace, there are still plenty
of people who want a real body-on-frame truck. Despite newer crossovers
like the Highlander and RAV4, Toyota still builds and sells body-on-frame
SUVs including the 4Runner, FJ Cruiser, Land Cruiser, and Sequoia. There is
the Tacoma for the small pickup marketplace, and the Tundra to compete in
the full-size pickup segment.

New to the Toyota lineup for 2014 are the latest iterations
of Tundra and the 4Runner, recently shown to the automotive press in Cle
Elum, WA and available for sale now. I'll cover each in turn

2014 Toyota Tundra First Look Preview and Road Test

2014 Toyota Tundra

Toyota has long been the class benchmark for small pickups,
starting with the Hilux in 1969. Which was mostly referred to as "the
Toyota pickup" until it was named Tacoma for the North American market in
1995. Realizing that compact pickups were but a small part of the huge
American pickup category, the larger T-100 was introduced for the 1993
model year. If it was larger than any previous Toyota pickup, it was
smaller than the full-size domestic pickups that ruled the marketplace. It
had a useful eight-foot cargo bed, but the largest engine offered was a V6,
and originally it came only in standard-cab form.

The T-100 never made much of a dent in the marketplace. It
might have been the truck many people needed, but without a V8 it was not
the truck they wanted. It disappeared after 1998.

To be followed for model year 2000 by the really full-size
Tundra. As the lineup expanded, it was offered with regular, extended, and
full crew cabs, with V6 and two varieties of V8 power, two- and four-wheel
drive. The name of the pickup game is choice‚€¶

A second generation of Tundra was released for 2007.
Following the lead of the class leaders, it was even bigger and more
capable. A Tundra, right off the assembly line, even towed the
300,000-pound Space Shuttle for a short distance.
If the Toyota name is Japanese, the newest Tundra is about as
American as a car or truck can be today. Made exclusively for the North
American market, engineering was done at Toyota Technical Center (TTC) in
Ann Arbor MI. Styling is courtesy Calty in Newport Beach, CA, and Ann
Arbor. Engines come from Toyota Motor Manufacturing Alabama, in Huntsville,
with transmissions sourced in North Carolina. Final assembly is at Toyota
Motor Manufacturing, San Antonio, TX (TMMTX).

And it's a Texas-sized truck. With, in top working trim, a
10,000-pound towing capacity and 2,000-pound payload. Pickups are the
biggest-selling vehicles in this country because of choice, and even though
Toyota has no illusions of toppling the domestics in the class, the 2014
Tundra can be had in multiple grades and configurations. Engines are a
4.0-liter, 270-hp V6, a 4.6-liter, 310-hp V8, and a 5.7-liter, 381-hp V8.
Pushrods not found here; all are DOHC multi-valve designs. The V6 is
matched to a five-speed automatic; the V8s get a six-speed.

Pickups get used for everything from work to play, so there
are appropriate grades. The work-oriented SR comes in regular and extended
"Double Cab" form, two or dual-range four-wheel drive, V6 (4x2 only) or V8.
The SR5 is expected to be the core model, so either V8, 2WD or 4WD, Double
or crew "CrewMax" cabs. "Limited" means upscale, CrewMax and 5.7 V8 4x2 or
4x4. Above that are the Platinum and 1794 luxury trucks. 5.7, CrewMax, 4x2
or 4x4.

The V6 is not expected to be a major seller. A
comparably-equipped 4.6 V8 truck is expected to lose only 1mpg in
comparison -- not surprising to me at all as often a vehicle with a small
engine gets poor mileage in the real world because it works much harder.
Wouldn't you really rather have a V8? and Toyota has learned that lesson
the hard way.

The Tundra's development process was a bit unusual. Chief
Engineer Mike Sweers may be a mechanical engineer by training, but he runs
the family hay farm in northern Michigan. And so is quite familiar with
what a pickup needs for hard use. And easier maintenance -- the new
Tundra's bumpers are three-piece designs. Ding one part, no need for a
complete new bumper!

And what might "1794" mean? According to Toyota, that was
the year that the ranch on which the San Antonio plant now sits was
founded.

Not that you have to go to the premium levels for civilized
amenities. All versions, even the SR, have a standard backup camera,
Bluetooth connectivity, power windows, door locks, and outside mirrors, and
at least basic air conditioning. And, of course, the Toyota Star Safety
System suite of safety equipment.

After the morning briefing on design and development,
assembled journalists were turned loose in the trucks. Typical of press
fleet-spec, most available were Limited, Platinum, and 1794 models. There
were also a few SR5s. mostly CrewMax. So my driving and passengering was
limited to the CrewMax versions, and when sitting in the rear seat no
complaints about that at all. Think of a crew-cab pickup as a full-size SUV
with either a huge trunk or a better solution for towing. There's plenty of
interior space for people or cargo and room to store more in the bed. Or
the best setup for towing a fifth-wheel trailer.

Today's pickups feel like luxury cars compared to those of
even 15 or 20 years ago. Especially in the premium levels, the ride quality
is very good and interior noise levels are low -- even on gravel and dirt
roads, which are plentiful in the mountains. We also tried towing, with a
6,000-pound trailer. No problem. Yes, acceleration was diminished and
adjustments needed to be made to driving -- but that goes for any vehicle
towing anything.

After a rocky start, Toyota is in the full-size pickup
market to stay. Prices range from $25,920 for a V6 4x2 regular-cab SR to
$47,320 for a (more than) fully-equipped 4x4 CrewMax Platinum or 1794
Edition. Plus destination, tax, and license.

2014 Toyota 4Runner First Look Preview and Road Test

2014 Toyota 4Runner

Back in model year 1985, long before the Great SUV Boom of
the 1990s, the original Toyota 4Runner was one of the, if not the, first to
put "sport" with utility. It was little more than a regular Toyota pickup
with a factory camper shell but it hit a note with active outdoor people.
Especially since in 4x4 trim it was eminently capable off road, and I still
see a few around today. Which is not surprising, as Toyota has sold around
two million 4Runners since then, and 75% are still on the road.

Between then and now the 4Runner has moved upscale in
appointment. It split off from the pickup line in 2003, when it was built
on a platform used, in other markets, by the Land Cruiser Prado. That gave
it a stiffer fully-boxed frame with independent double-A arm front and
well-located solid-axle rear suspension for serious off-road abilities. And
a 235-horsepower V8 engine.

The V8 eventually went away, but since the 4.0-liter V6 in
the 2014 4Runner makes 270hp, it won't be missed. This year sees a styling
refresh, which follows an update in 2009. If it isn't a mainstream vehicle,
the 4Runner has an enthusiastic following and is as capable as ever. This
particular event was more about the Tundra than the 4Runner, and we, alas,
didn't get to do any serious four-wheeling of our own. Toyota did, however,
have their driver doing exhibition runs through a technical off-road
course. Which was serious enough that you probably wouldn't want to run
through it in your own 4Runner. You could, as it had no problems during a
long day of work.

There was no towing demonstration for the 4Runner, but with
a 4700-pound capacity it should have little problem with smaller camping
trailers, boats and personal watercraft, motorcycle trailers, even race car
trailers. Note that Toyota's stated towing capacities are per new SAE J2807
methodology, which is very conservative. If you are looking for a mid-size
SUV with serious towing and off-road capability, this is it. It was the
first of its kind almost 30 years ago, and now the Toyota 4Runner is one of
the last mid-size, body-on-frame true SUVs sold here, and by far the most
luxurious.